Three's A Crowd
by A Thousand Undiscovered Stars
Summary: All that Tori wants is to understand Jade, the girl she secretly loves, and she'll get her wish in a pretty unique way. What happens when secrets are revealed and feelings come to light? Suddenly, Jade and Beck's relationship starts getting a little crowded... Tori Vega/Jade West/Beck Oliver.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Victorious belongs to Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider!**

**Three's A Crowd**

**Chapter One**

**Tori**

I groaned as I lay my head down on my friends' and my table in the Asphalt Café at lunch. It was only the middle of the day, and already I felt like I was at the end of my rope. Hollywood Arts High School may be crazy and entertaining, but it was still a school and – just like at any other high school – there were moments when I just wanted to bang my head against the wall.

We'd just recently started our senior year, and that meant one thing: more work. Don't get me wrong. I love my classes, for the most part, but the workload was kind of insane sometimes. I was taking a full set of classes, including Advanced Vocals and Songwriting II, AP Calculus, Theatre History II, Stage Performance III, Pop Vocals III, and Creative Writing. They were all great classes, other than the math, but they required a hell of a lot of work on occasion, though the majority of it was done in class.

_It's still worth it, though,_ I thought to myself, one corner of my mouth curving up a bit. _If I put in all of this work now, I'm guaranteed a spot at UCLA and a demo deal with Inspire Records, thanks to my performance at the Platinum Music Awards. As tired as I am, there's no way that I'd ever give that up. It's my ticket to becoming a successful songstress, after all,_ I thought with tired satisfaction.

Andre, Cat, and Robbie walked up at that moment, jolting me out of my thoughts, all joking and laughing as usual. They were pretty great friends, and I had to be glad that I'd met them my first day at Hollywood Arts. So, I lifted my head a bit and spared them a wan smile that only Andre caught. Cat and Robbie were in their own world, as they were prone to being.

He sat next to me, nudging me gently in the shoulder. "Hey, Tori, what's up? You alright?" he asked curiously, with knowing eyes. Andre was like my blood brother in a lot of ways. We just seemed to connect on a basic level that brought us close together.

Cat interrupted before I could answer. "Tori!" she cried excitedly in greeting, bouncing over to hug me enthusiastically. She was just so vivacious that I couldn't help laughing, as I weakly returned her embrace.

"Hi, Cat," I smiled at my bubbly, redheaded friend. To my surprise, she frowned at me, and I tilted my head a bit. The expression was so out of place for the excitable teen that I couldn't help worrying for a moment."What's wrong, Cat?" I wondered aloud when she started to pout.

"You don't look very good today," she said sadly, and my smile softened at the genuine concern in her eyes. Caterina Valentine was one of the most sincere people you could ever meet, and, while she may not be the most grounded person, she was pretty good at noticing when something was wrong with someone she cared about. That's part of why I hated it so much when people assumed that because she was somewhat impulsive and spontaneous she must be unintelligent, when the truth was that she had some of the highest grades in school.

"I'm fine, Cat," I reassured her. "I'm just tired, but I'll get plenty of sleep tonight. You'll see. Tomorrow, I'll be good as new!" I managed a bright smile for her, and her mood quickly shifted back to happiness.

"Yay!" Cat exclaimed, clapping excitedly. "Ooh, chicken nuggets! I love chicken nuggets, ha!" Her attention was quickly caught by the lunch that Robbie had been carrying for her, and she rushed to take her seat once more.

"Hey, Tori," Robbie greeted me briefly, Rex nowhere to be seen, and I nodded in return. "Thanks for your help with my calculus homework the other day. I've been practicing like you told me, and I've got it down now," he said gratefully, referring to the trouble he'd been having with a particularly complex chapter that his class had been working on recently - because I was in the AP class, I'd already moved past that chapter and knew how to help him.

"No problem, Robbie," I shrugged it off with a smile. I was always happy to help my friends. They deserved to be happy, after all, and if I could help them with that, even in a small way, then I would. I laughed silently at that thought. Cat and Robbie didn't need the help of anyone to be happy.

They had both been over-the-moon since they started dating. It was practically a miracle that two of them had finally gotten together, since they'd both spent so long dancing around the issue. But it had happened almost immediately once Robbie matured a bit more in the past year. He started gaining some confidence, and he was beginning to branch out more from his excellent talent as a ventriloquist. He even started carrying Rex less often, though the spunky puppet that represented Robbie's alter ego still showed up every few days.

"So, why the look on your face like you're about to go into a coma?" Andre interrupted my thoughts, his voice lighthearted with amusement, though his dark eyes showed that he was genuinely concerned. He honestly didn't know because I didn't have classes with anyone in our group, aside from Jade, until after lunch this year.

I sighed. "Today's just been really, really busy, that's all. I had to perform my new song in the Black Box for the first time earlier, and I ended up having to do it five times because Sinjin kept screwing up the lights halfway through. Then, in my next couple classes, I got assigned four pages of Calculus problems, a five-page report on theatre history in the 1920's, and I have to memorize and practice the choreography for my performance in my Stage Performance class tomorrow," I groaned. It was making my head hurt just thinking about having to do all that work, as tired as I already was.

My friend winced in sympathy. "Ouch, sorry about that," he said sympathetically. "I have a pretty light workload today so far, so just give me a call if you need any help, alright?" he offered with a grin, and I shook my head. The two of us worked really well together, but I knew that I needed to do the work myself as much as possible. I didn't want to become dependent on his help.

"I'll be fine, Andre. I'll just have to drink a _lot_ of coffee tonight," I said truthfully, yawning as I spoke. "It's just a lot to get done in one day," I complained lightly, head resting heavily on my crossed arms.

"Aw, is Miss Sweet Sally Peaches feeling overwhelmed, can't handle a little bit of pressure?" Jade's voice washed over me, her tone mocking and overly saccharine, in the tone she insists I use when I talk. She and Beck walked up together, taking their usual seats.

"I don't talk like that!" I shot back as my head snapped up, though my tone was somewhat lacking in agitation. The moment I laid eyes on Jade, I felt something weird for a moment, almost like a pang of longing. I shook it off for the moment. "Please, just give it a rest, Jade! I barely got any sleep last night, and it's already been a long day," I frowned tiredly, shooting her a halfhearted glare as I laid my head back down.

After a moment of silence, I glanced at her, and a surge of guilt hit me like a punch in the stomach. I huffed quietly from the shock of the sudden sensation that was gone as soon as it appeared. Why would I feel guilty about snapping at Jade? Regardless of my feelings for her, she didn't look the least bit offended or wounded. Hell, if anything, she looked amused.

"Sorry about her," Beck said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around his smirking girlfriend. Beck was undoubtedly the nicer half of the pair. It seemed to be in his nature, seeing as he was rarely genuinely agitated about anything. He was a pretty calm guy, not to mention he was a great friend.

"It's fine, Beck," I said sincerely, and that was the end of it. There was no need for Beck to apologize for Jade. I understood her pretty well, really, considering how she fought me every step of the way. Plus, it'd be a little pathetic if I didn't understand her in the least when I observed her so closely.

Jade was complicated. She didn't do anything the way that you'd expect, but she always pulled off whatever she set out to do. Of course, everyone was well aware of her talent - just as aware as they were of her temper. I couldn't say why, but Jade's moods tended be volatile, in addition to being as unpredictable as her actions on occasion.

Still, I knew that she didn't hate me exclusively - Jade's dislike was universal and in no way truly specific to me alone. Though she had held a particular irritation toward me ever since the day I kissed Beck to get back at her for dumping iced coffee all over my head on my head within my first twenty minutes attending Hollywood Arts.

That's not to say that we were always at each other's throats, not that I returned her hatred or even disliked her. Occasionally, Jade would open up to me a bit when we were alone, and I treasured those few moments of camaraderie more than she knew. In those moments that she let her guard down with me, I could easily see that she was hiding something, holding something back. Her eyes gave her away, but I never pressed.

It was hard enough attempting to keep my own secrets, much less resisting the longing to unravel hers.

I almost chuckled to myself at the thought that crossed my mind then. _I wonder just what Jade would have to say, if she knew that it's never been Beck that I want…_ He was attractive, of course, but I'd never felt a real pull to him. No, from the first moment I saw her, it'd been Jade that captured my interest, my attention. _If only she knew… I wonder just how she would react…_

I didn't intend to act on my feelings, of course. I wouldn't do that to Beck, in spite of how much I wanted her. It wouldn't be right, not unless she returned my feelings. My lips twitched into a small smile, while I rested my head. I couldn't fathom how I would react if that miracle were to occur, but I could dream...

The bell to end lunch rang loudly, and I reluctantly gathered my things. Yet another class to attend, and the only positive aspect was the fact that it was finally time for my class with Sikowitz. Hopefully, we'd have a fairly easy assignment for the day, though it was all but a given. There were quite a few shruggers in that class, so Sikowitz clearly favored our group.

My friends and I walked down the halls in companionable silence, each taking our customary seats in Sikowitz's classroom. Andre and I sat in the front row, while Cat and Robbie took seats in the middle row, and Jade and Beck sat in the back. Our other classmates took seats wherever they liked, although I didn't really recognize many of them by name. None of them were ever very enthusiastic about this class, but I loved it - even on days when I was ready to pass out from weariness.

It was a struggle not to doze off where I sat, but Sikowitz helped make my fatigue dissipate a bit when he made his entrance. The eccentric, coconut-obsessed man threw himself through the window with a coconut in his hand and a wacky grin on his face.

"Good Tuesday, my pupils!" he greeted us loudly as he scrambled to his feet. It was so typical for the man that I just shook my head in exasperated amusement and thanked my lucky stars that he didn't decide we needed to hear a panic-inducing announcement that "The building's on fire!" or "There's a killer in the building!" to wake us up. I, for one, was far too tired for that sort of thing today.

"But it's Thursday," Cat said absently, an adorable pout on her face. As smart as she is, Cat's still kind of like my little sister in some ways. She's just so innocent, despite her high level of intelligence and her maturity in other areas.

"Yes, thank you very much for pointing out the obvious, Cat," Sikowitz said jovially, before drinking from his coconut casually. I always wondered why he became so obsessed with them, aside from the fact that their milk gives him visions, apparently.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cat cried, and I chuckled quietly when Robbie began quietly calming her. She really didn't take perceived criticism well at all, but she was a sweetheart.

Everyone waited silently for our crazy teacher to start class, but he seemed to have completely forgotten what he was supposed to be doing, as per usual. The silence drew on, and I held in a chuckle. If I knew her at all, then Jade would lose her temper right about -

"SIKOWITZ!" Jade yelled as her patience reached its limits, causing everyone but me and Beck to jump in their seats. Jade's rage was impressive, and I was the only person - aside from Beck - who wouldn't cower beneath her glare. Students quickly fled from her path when she was on a rampage, and I didn't really blame them.

Fortunately, she brought our teacher back into reality, and he started on the lesson for the day. My prayers were (unsurprisingly) answered, and all we had to do was listen to a remarkably coherent – really a surprise coming from Sikowitz – and interesting lecture, for the majority of the class period. It was only during the last few minutes of class that Sikowitz finished up.

"Now, it's time for our favorite game: Alphabet Improv!" Sikowitz grinned gleefully, and I smiled. As terrible as that first experience was, I loved playing Alphabet Improv. It was great being able to get into the element of a wacky character and just go with the flow. "Alright, let's have Jade, Andre, Tori, and Cat onstage, please!"

I took my place happily, shaking off my exhaustion for the moment, waiting for the others to join me. Some of the things that we improvised were just insane, but that's what made it fun.

"Now, Jade, begin with the letter Y. Go!"

"You people give me a rash," Jade said scornfully, and I had to hold back a laugh. That was one of her favorite phrases, though she didn't use it as often as you'd think - she'd liked some variety in her insults, after all.

"Zero is the number of rashes that I see on your skin," I countered playfully, stiffening when a strong sensation of amusement and happiness rolled over me. The feelings themselves were perfectly natural for me, but, as crazy as it sounds even in my own mind, those emotions didn't feel like they were coming from me.

_What the hell is going on?_ I was beginning to get freaked out after experiencing this oddity for a third time, and if I'd been a less competent actress it would have been obvious that something was wrong. As it was, I pulled myself together and responded with a half-smile when Jade scowled at me.

"Apples are good for people who have rashes," Andre joked, and my toes curled in my shoes when a wave of caution hit me. He was always uncomfortable when Jade and I bantered, due to the fact that he knew how I felt about her. He was always worried that she might take things too far and hurt me without even knowing what she was doing.

"But the doctor gave my brother a cream for his toe rash," Cat said, her confusion evident. Joy hit me, mixed with a bit of confusion, but I still couldn't help smiling at my friend.

However, as soon as my attention wavered from Cat, I internally groaned. Things were just getting too freaky. I was...feeling my friends' emotions. Things like that just didn't happen. That's why people wrote about them in books and movie scripts and comic books - because they were impossible. _This is impossible_.

"Can we stop talking about rashes now?" Jade groaned, glaring at the three of us that were onstage with her. Irritation boiled under my skin, and I barely stopped myself from flinching. It was becoming overwhelming, all of the emotions crashing over me.

Even as I felt Jade's irritation, I could faintly feel the interest radiating off of our classmates, the concern seeping from Andre, the happiness from Cat... They were all mixing with my panic and discomfort to create a nauseating sensation, and I struggled to hold it all in.

"Darling, I'd love to," I said, the endearment rolling effortlessly off my tongue, even as I silently struggled. Jade's glare intensified, but the corner of her lip twitched upward a bit and I could feel her pleasure as I kept up with her verbal game.

"Excellent, we all agree, don't we Little Red?" Andre continued laughingly, directing his question at Cat. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to catch on to the fact that he was talking to her, despite the fact that he frequently used that nickname for her.

A blast of excitement hit me and my fingers twitched. _No more. Please... I can't take any more..._

"Who's Little Red? Is she nice?" Cat asked brightly, and Sikowitz made a loud buzzing sound. He was calm, and I reveled in that instant of serenity. It helped me center myself once more, and the strange emotions seemed to recede a bit.

"That's wrong, Cat. Your letter was F. Please step down," he said straightforwardly. No emotions hit me, and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. My mind was racing with the strangeness of it all, and I had to force myself to focus on the present moment.

"Darn it!" Cat pouted and stamped her foot. Faintly, there was a shadow of disappointment that seemed to hover in the back of my mind, and I was thankful that it was far weaker than the emotions I'd been feeling just a few moments ago.

"Here's a piece of candy," our teacher said, holding out the sugary snack. He was still calm, and I took a deep breath, maintaining my composure for my audience. I couldn't let anyone know what was happening to me. They would never believe it, and the few who did would probably think that I was a freak. Quite frankly, I didn't want the added headache of their petty shallowness on top of this bizarre day.

"Yay!" She skipped forward to snatch it, already forgetting her mistake onstage. The disappointment vanished and joy took its place. I couldn't say that I was disappointed by the change. She was such a happy person in general that it seemed a crime for her to be upset, though I knew that she got upset just like anyone else.

Sikowitz clapped his hands together with a grin. "Jade, your letter is F, go!"

I breathed in and out, silently but deeply, focusing all my willpower on controlling the sensations that kept invading my body and mind. Whatever was happening to me, I was starting to fear that it just might be permanent, and if I didn't get a handle on it then I was going to end up isolating myself from society to escape the overwhelming feelings of others.

"For your information, Cat, you're Little Red," Jade rolled her eyes, but I could _feel_ that she found Cat just as adorable as I did. The two reactions - her public facade and her inner feelings - were so opposed that I found myself wondering what else I didn't know about Jade.

"Great of you to let her know," I laughed, the sound falling easily from my lips. She nearly always had the power to put me in a good mood, even in my current situation.

"How about we all try to just use Cat's name from now on?" Andre suggested, and I nodded in agreement. All my focus was centered on remaining calm and in control of my emotions. If I could just make it through the rest of the day, then things would be fine - at least, that's what I convinced myself.

"It's probably for the best," Jade mused, her demeanor mild compared to her typical fiery temperament.

"Jumping kangaroos, there are killer wasps!" I cried suddenly, pointing to the imaginary wasps. I'd begun to get bored with the mundane conversation, so I just said the first thing that popped into my head.

Jade raised an eyebrow in my direction, blue eyes staring me down. "Killer wasps?" she asked skeptically, but her tone didn't match her mood. As she looked at me, she was feeling -

I froze, and I nearly cried out when the feeling slipped away from me once more. It took a monumental effort to control myself, and I put it out of my mind lest I blurt out the wrong thing in front of the entire class.

"Let's run away!" Andre yelled, acting as if he was about to make a run for it. He was more relaxed than before, and I desperately grabbed hold of the sensation. I was reeling from the realization that I'd just come to, and I needed the relief.

"Maybe we should just sacrifice Tori to the killer wasps," Jade said sadistically with a smirk curling her lips upward, and I feigned a shudder of horror, though a warm feeling began to grow in my chest when that same emotion radiated out from her once more.

"No, anything but that!" I played up the terror, shying away from the other girl but wanting nothing more than to go closer.

_Could it be true? Could she possibly feel that for me?_

"Only if we have no other choice will we sacrifice Tori," Andre said somberly, a teasing glint in his eyes, his emotions full of mirth.

Jade would have continued, but the bell rang, signaling the end of class. She departed without a word, despite the fact that all of us but Beck had the same end-of-the-day class sixth period. We all took Creative Writing, but Beck was taking a Stage Combat class.

I watched her go, unable to help myself. A smile curved my lips up, and I didn't bother trying to hide it. Maybe...just maybe things weren't as cut and dry as I'd thought. Because, unless I was truly going out of my mind and imagining all of these strange events, Jade had looked at me and felt...love. But not just love - she'd felt the kind of love that I felt for her, romantic, passionate, powerful.

Unless I had finally plunged off the deep end in my endless fascination with her and everything was just wishful thinking...Jade was in love with me.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Okay, the original version of the first chapter just didn't sit well with me. I found it hard to start the second chapter, so I decided to change things up a bit. I hope that you all enjoy this version better because I know that I do.**

**And I'm so sorry for the lateness of this update. Life just got in the way, but things are back on track now, thankfully!**

**"****Inspire Records" does not exist to my knowledge - I pulled the name out of thin air.**

**~A Thousand Undiscovered Stars**


	2. Chapter 2

**Three's A Crowd**

**Chapter Two**

**Tori**

I was floating on cloud nine, not even realizing that I had been staring at the doorway since Jade left. As often as I'd dreamt of it, imagined it, I'd never truly believed that Jade could return my feelings. From what I could see, she'd just always been so in love with Beck that it seemed impossible that she could ever love anyone else.

And, just like that, I came crashing back down to Earth.

Beck.

Jade was still dating Beck, regardless of her feelings for me, and I wouldn't delude myself with thoughts that maybe she didn't actually love him. Despite her skills as an actress, not even Jade could pull that off, fake such an intense love with a wonderful guy. I reminded myself of that fact once more - Beck was really a good person. Even with this new knowledge, could I really hurt him that way?

"Tori?" Andre's voice filtered through my thoughts, and my head snapped around to face him. He was watching me with a concerned look that matched the aura of worry that seemed to surround him in that moment. "Are you okay?" he asked lowly, obviously referring to my situation with Jade.

I shook my head to clear it and nodded at him. "I'm fine."

The words seemed to leave my mouth on autopilot, and I sighed as soon as they were said. I wanted to do just what I'd started to do - nod and blow off my strange behavior - but he was my best friend, my brother in everything but blood. Even if I wasn't ready to talk about it yet, he deserved some facet of the truth.

I shook my head ruefully at his wry glance. "No, I'm not fine, but I really can't talk about it right now. Things are just - " I cut myself off, wondering how to finish that sentence. "It's been a really long, really _strange _day, and I need a little time to get my head around it," I said truthfully as we walked slowly to class together. Apparently, Andre had waved Robbie and Cat ahead while I'd been stuck in my lovestruck daze, which I wish I'd been able to hold onto for a while longer.

"It's cool. I know that you'll come to me when you're ready. Is there anything I can help with, without you telling me what's up?" he offered sincerely, and I broke into a smile at the flicker of brotherly love that seemed to fill me up with warmth, like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.

Then, I gave it some thought. Maybe he could help me out without me being forced to spill my guts about the crazy situation that I found myself in. He already knew that I was in love with Jade, after all. I'd confessed to him when he though that he was crushing on her, and he even tried to help me get over her. No luck on that count, clearly.

I hummed quietly as I thought. "Andre...I don't even know where to start," I confessed. "You know how much I love her, but I can't just sit back and watch her be with Beck forever. He's a great friend and I don't want to hurt him, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do," I vented, letting out a few of my frustrations.

"Hey, muchacha, it's alright." He wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. "I know it's hard for you to not tell her how you feel, but you have to ask yourself how much your friendship with Beck means to you," he said seriously, and I nodded in agreement.

I'd thought about the cost of pursuing Jade more times than I could count, but it had never been so difficult to weigh my options before. Of course, pursuing Jade had seemed like walking on water: impossible. Now, when I knew that she returned my feelings, it was beyond tempting to give into my desires. The only thing stopping me was Beck.

If I managed to steal her away from him, I couldn't bear the guilt that I would carry, and I would lose one of my best friends. If I didn't even attempt to make her mine, then I'd be stuck right where I was now, alone and unhappy without her.

Not to mention, how would Jade feel about all of this? If she truly loved us both, as I suspected she did, then how could I make this harder for her by pushing her into a corner and making her choose once and for all? No matter who she picked, she'd feel like she was losing one of us, and I didn't want to put her through that.

Of course, there was also the fact that she might feel violated by the fact that if I told her that I knew about her feelings for me because I had invaded her privacy by...I suppose you could call it "reading" her emotions, though it had been entirely unintentional and unexpected. Then again, if I didn't tell her and she eventually discovered the truth, she may feel betrayed by the fact that I kept it from her.

I was beginning to get a headache from all of the possibilities, and I just wanted the pounding in my head to stop. It wasn't doing me any good, and I knew in my heart what I should do, no matter how little I liked it.

"You're right," I finally said, when I realized that Andre was still waiting for an answer. "I don't want to lose Beck's friendship, and it wouldn't be right to dump all of this on Jade when I know that she loves him." It nearly made me sick to my stomach, but I got the words out.

_But she loves you, too,_ a small voice in the back of my head whispered.

I shook my head. _This is for the best. She's happy with him._

Andre smiled sympathetically, and I relished in the comfort seeping from his body and into my stressed form. "I think you're doing the right thing, Tori," he murmured as he hugged me tightly, and I suddenly realized that he'd pulled us into the janitor's closet when I was lost in my thoughts.

Clearly, we wouldn't be making it to our last class, not that it would have done me any good. I would have almost certainly ended up staring at Jade for the entire period, and I don't think I could have handled being in such close proximity with the rest of the class. If the trend of the day held true, then I would likely have been overwhelmed by the flood of emotions hitting me from all sides, since my assigned seat was directly in the middle of the small sea of desks.

"So, Mr. Wizard," I teased lightly, trying to perk up a bit, "got any more sage advice to stop me from exploding and doing something I'll regret later?" I asked, half-playful and half-serious. It was a real possibility, and I'd come close to doing just that a few times _before_ I developed this crazy sixth sense.

He chuckled quietly, and his eyes seemed to be watching me intently. "Alright, Tor, don't take this the wrong way, but..." he trailed off for the moment and appeared to be struggling with something. I could feel his frustration levels rising.

"What's up, Andre?" I asked curiously. "You know you can tell me anything," I pointed out. "If you think it could help, I'm willing to give it a shot. At this point, I think I'd try just about anything." It was the truth. In spite of this new and thrilling discovery, my situation hadn't changed at all. I was still, essentially, stuck.

Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion. "Okay. Tori, I think that you need to go on a date," he said firmly, and my eyes widened. As soon as I opened my mouth to protest, he raised his hands defensively. "Before you say no, just think about it. If you can't have Jade, then you deserve to be happy with someone else. It may not be the same, and you may not be as happy as you would be with her, but at least you won't have to try so hard anymore," he said quietly.

I grimaced at his words. This was one of the downsides of his knowing me almost better than I knew myself: he knew how to circumvent my arguments. It was true that maybe going out with someone who I could admire openly might make me happier, but...

"Wouldn't that be wrong?" I frowned. "I'd be going out with someone else despite the fact that I know I'm in love with Jade. So, wouldn't that make me just as bad as Ryder?" I wondered, with renewed disgust toward the guy who'd tried to use me to get a good grade in class. Not that I ever went out with him, contrary to popular belief. I agreed to hang out with the guy and blew him off when he tried to kiss me.

Andre smiled. "I didn't say that you should lead anyone on, Tori. I just said that you should go on a date. Not everyone is looking for a relationship when they go out. As long as you're honest about your intentions, and the person you go out with is also not looking for a committed relationship, there's really nothing stopping you," he explained with a shrug, and I had to admit that he was right.

There were actually a lot of people at Hollywood Arts that were like that, not looking for love or even a real relationship. Instead, they really just wanted someone to go out and have a good time with.

"Who would I go out with?" I asked reluctantly, and his dark eyes gleamed with excitement. Thanks to my new...powers? abilities?...I really _had_ to smile along with him. Besides, he was just trying to help me, and I was desperate enough to try anything.

"Well, first off, you should go out with a girl," he started before responding to my questioning look. "You've never really dated another girl, and I don't feel like you'd have a good time with a guy right now, considering how hung up you are on Jade," he mentioned, and I had to agree with that.

I'm bisexual, but if I'm going to go out with anyone besides Jade then I want a woman right now. It would just be too far of a stretch to date a guy when I'm still in love with a girl.

"I take it you have a girl in mind that fits the no-serious-relationships qualification," I wondered aloud. He must if he brought it up. Andre usually thought these things through, and I didn't see any reason for this time to be any different.

He nodded. "Do you know Vanessa Cleveland? She's in our grade, and she sang in the Big Showcase a couple weeks ago," he mentioned, and I admitted to myself that he had good taste. Even I hadn't been able to resist a second look at the sexy singer, regardless of my feelings for Jade.

Vanessa was beautiful, no doubt about that, and she was a talented punk-rock singer. She had the typical California beach girl look going for her, but hers was all natural, from her beach-blonde hair to her bronze tanned skin and bright ocean-blue eyes. Plus, as an added bonus, she wasn't a stuck-up bitch like most gorgeous girls were. She was a genuinely nice person, and she went out of her way to connect with all of the different groups in our school.

Of course, the most important factor was that she was an out of the closet lesbian. In fact, the day after I came out at Hollywood Arts, she came up to me and congratulated me. Although, her congratulations was a bit more flirty than congratulatory, which would work in my favor now.

"I know her," I responded with a short hum. "So, you think that I should ask her out?" I clarified.

"Yeah," Andre grinned. "I heard from a friend of mine a couple days ago that she liked you, which is why she came to mind just now. And I know for a fact that she's not looking for a serious relationship because she wants to focus on her career and her studies in college. She just wants a little fun, but she also dates exclusively, which I know is something you like," he said knowingly, and it was true.

I may have agreed to go out with someone to help me control myself around Jade, but that didn't mean that I wanted to date someone who was casually dating several other people at once. Of course, on the flip side, I'd gone out with a couple for a few months when I was still going to school at Sherwood, and I didn't have a problem with it. Both of them had wanted it, and I knew going into it that it wasn't going to be anything serious.

"Okay," I agreed, a small grin tugging at my lips. Once I put Jade out of my mind for the moment, I found that I was actually kind of excited about dating someone. It wouldn't be the same as getting what I really wanted, but I needed this. "I'll go and talk to Vanessa when - "

The sound of the final bell cut me off, and I startled at the sudden noise. I hadn't realized that so much time had passed.

"I guess I'll go and find her now," I laughed lightly, and Andre grinned at me.

"Alright, I'll see you later, chica," he told me. "She has Rock Vocals in the Black Box last period, so you should be able to find her there if you hurry. You go and get your girl." He waved as he led the way out of the janitor's closet before disappearing into the crowd.

I moved swiftly through the crowd. Now that I'd made my decision, I didn't want to leave this for tomorrow. So, I was a bit disappointed when I arrived to find that the Black Box was empty, before I suddenly remembered that Vanessa either walked or took the bus to school.

With renewed energy, I rushed through the halls, and my smile widened when I caught a glimpse of her through the glass doors of one of the side entrances to the school. Once I slipped through the exit, I slowed my pace a bit.

"Vanessa!" I called her name, and she turned to face me. I was just a few steps behind her at that point, and she smiled when she saw me.

"Hey," she greeted me happily, and the surge of pleasure that she felt boosted my own happiness.

"Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something," I told her, and she tilted her head curiously. "Can I give you a ride home?" I offered, and I was pleased when she said yes. We walked to my car together, calling greetings to friends that we passed along the way, until we reached my pride and joy, so to speak.

It was an electric-blue Hennessey Venom GT. The interior was all black leather, and I loved it. The fact that it was one of the fastest cars in the world was an added bonus, and I could tell that Vanessa was impressed.

Of course, I could feel that she was more impressed - and pleased, for that matter - when I opened her door for her. "Hop in," I invited her with a smile. "You'll have to give me directions," I said once I'd gotten in on the driver's side and started the car.

As soon as she told me her address, I had a pretty good idea of where I was going. She lived a few blocks from my house, as it turned out. I was wondering when her curiosity would get the better of her, and she spoke up as soon as we got going.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about that was so important?" she asked teasingly, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "You could have talked to me tomorrow, but you came to find me instead," she pointed out perceptively.

I hummed in acknowledgement. "I could have waited, but I didn't want to," I admitted freely with a shrug. "I actually wanted to ask you if you'd go out with me," I informed her, glancing over to see her expression.

She was watching me with a pleased smile and her blue eyes were sparkling, so I took that as a sign to continue.

"So, will you go out with me tomorrow night?" I asked her formally, choosing the following night since it would be Friday night. "I'd love to take you out on a date," I said sincerely, ignoring the small protest in the back of my mind.

It was the truth. I did want to take Vanessa out - I just wanted to take Jade out more. But just because I loved Jade didn't mean that I wasn't going to date anyone else, though I hadn't since I realized my feelings for her.

"I think that sounds great," she agreed, before adding, "as long as you're not expecting too much. It's not exactly a secret, so you might already know, but I don't get involved in serious relationships," she warned me, and I turned to her with a grin after parking in her driveway.

I nodded. "I know. I'm not looking for anything serious right now, either. I just want to take you out and make sure both of us have a good time," I said, and she grinned back at me once I told her that. "So, can I pick you up at seven tomorrow night?"

Vanessa agreed, before asking, "What should I wear? Did you have anything in particular in mind for us to do?"

Inspiration struck, and I decided on the spot that I wanted to take her to a concert that I'd heard was going on this weekend. It was a new band that I had a feeling she'd like, so I figured we'd have dinner at a small restaurant I knew of nearby before heading to the concert.

"Don't wear anything too fancy. Just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt should be good for what I have in mind, but I have a feeling that you'll like it," I assured her, pulling out my most charming smile. I knew it worked when the faint skepticism that I'd been picking up from her faded into gratification from the attention I was paying her.

"Alright, sounds good," she approved. "I'll see you tomorrow." She leaned over and pressed a light kiss to my cheek before getting out, but she leaned her head back in before closing the door. "You'll pick me up for school, right?" she asked teasingly, but I took her seriously and agreed.

"I'll be here bright and early tomorrow morning," I winked at her, and she laughed.

"Bye, Tori," she called, and I watched as she made her way into the house.

Once she was out of sight, I backed out of her driveway and headed home. It was official. I had a date with Vanessa Cleveland, and - much to my initial surprise - I was actually pretty excited about it.

Don't get me wrong, I was absolutely still in love with Jade. This wasn't some cheesy sitcom where the characters fell in and out of love a dozen times in a single episode, but I really felt good about getting a date with such a gorgeous girl. No matter how I felt about the fiery Goth, it would be good for me to go out and have a good time.

I held onto that mindset, and - with the help of several cups of abnormally strong coffee - I finished all of my assignments before midnight, before heading down into my basement suite. The entire lower level was devoted to being my bedroom, bathroom, and library.

Of course, I owned the entire house, but the basement was my sanctuary, aside from the new recording studio that I'd had built on the top floor. The renovations had just been finished a week ago and I loved it, but it wasn't as comforting as my suite, which had been mine even before I legally owned the house.

I quickly stripped myself of my outer clothes and slipped on a pair of dark blue silk men's boxers over my black lace underwear. I didn't bother wearing a shirt to sleep in unless I had friends over, though that was a rare occurrence. The majority of the time, we didn't really bother staying at each other's houses. We already spent so much time together that it didn't seem necessary, though Cat had spent more than a few nights with me before.

Fortunately for me, she didn't pick up on the fact that I was the only one ever here. If they asked, I wouldn't lie to them, but I wasn't really eager to make my family situation public, even to my friends.

I quickly finished up by brushing my hair and stretching a bit to release some of the tension that had built up in my body over the course of the day. The weird phenomenon that had plagued me earlier in the day wasn't forgotten, but I was feeling better about it after everything else that had happened.

It might take some getting used to, but I wasn't going to complain about it anymore. It wouldn't do me any good, and I was starting to think that maybe, just maybe this new ability of mine wouldn't be so bad.

A yawn escape my lips and I quickly finished up my stretches. As soon as I was ready, I slipped into bed and nearly melted when I felt how comfortable my bed was to my overly tired body. It was mere minutes before I fell asleep, and I congratulated myself one last time over getting a date with Vanessa. Still, I couldn't help myself when my last thought was, _I wonder what Jade will think?_

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: So, what did you all think about the new chapter? I feel really good about the new direction for this story, which is why I was able to knock this chapter out in less than twelve hours.**

**Of course, I'm sure that some of you are wondering why I've got Tori going out with someone other than Jade, but things will work out in the end. ;)**

**Also, Vanessa Cleveland is the property of Lynne Ewing. I borrowed her from the Daughters of the Moon book series, but none of the events in that series are relevant, which is why this story isn't listed as a crossover. None of the other characters will make appearances either, so...**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you thought with a review, and thanks for reading!**

**~A Thousand Undiscovered Stars**


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